Taliban Assures Countries That Their Citizens Will Be Allowed To Leave After US Withdrawal

The Taliban assured the U.S. and 97 other countries that they would allow the nations’ respective citizens to leave the country after the military fully withdraws on Aug. 31.

“We are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan,” the countries said in a joint statement. “We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorization from our countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country.”

The statement, released Sunday, was signed by over half of the world’s nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Union.

The countries pledged to “continue issuing travel documentation to designated Afghans,” adding that they had received “the clear expectation of and commitment from the Taliban that they can travel to our respective countries.”

China and Russia, two powers that permanently sit on the United Nation’s Security Council, did not sign the agreement, and have vowed to assist the Taliban in rebuilding Afghanistan.

The statement noted “the public statements of the Taliban confirming this understanding.”